APRIL 2023 THE VOICE
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11
News Feature
Legalise cannabis, don’t criminalise communities Anti-prohibition campaigner calls for reform: free the people not just the herb
ing future job opportunities, impacting on housing, access to education and breaking up ANNABIS PROHIfamilies. BITION has had a Even Black people who massively negative do not smoke cannabis are impact on Black impacted by increased police communities in Britain since its surveillance, violence linked introduction in 1971. to the illegal market, and the But ending prohibition will impact on loved ones. not be enough to fix the damStreatham MP Bell Ribeiroage, according to leading drug Addy hosted a Parliamentary policy advocates. meeting last month, presented As a growing number of by Release and UNJUST UK, countries around the world which featured prominent move to end the prohibition advocates in drug policy reform, of cannabis, Britain will surely including Kassandra Frederique, eventually jump on the bandwho has led the campaigns in wagon. New York. Ms Ribeiro-Addy There are a multitude of said at the event ways cannabis can “Cannabis is be decriminalised sometimes deand it is important scribed as a gatewe learn the lesway drug. There is sons from around zero evidence this the world, say is the case. What Release, national is true is candrug law experts, nabis prohibition and UNJUST is a gateway to UK, who tackle the criminal legal systemic racism in system for many the criminal legal Black people.” REFORMER: Labour system. Ms Frederique MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy Despite the explained her stereotypes, Black battle wasn’t to people do not smoke cannabis decriminalise cannabis, it was any more frequently than their to decriminalise a community. white peers, but bias in the way “It wasn’t about freeing a the drug is policed means the plant; it was about freeing the negative impacts are concenpeople. About figuring out how trated in poor communities in do we actually decriminalise general and Black communities communities,” she said. in particular. Release argued that cannabis Every year around 500,000 decriminalisation in the UK has people are stopped and to expunge all cannabis-related searched by the police. Black criminal records, must provide young men are stopped at nine access to the new legal market times the rate of their white for Black communities and that counterparts, and Home Office some of the revenue which will figures show almost two thirds be made in taxes needs to go (63 per cent) of these stops are back into communities hardest because an officer suspects hit by the prohibition. someone of drug offences. Calls for drug law reform In most cases of Stop and have been gaining momentum, Search (71 per cent), nothing at but there is still a long way all is found, but on the occato go. UNJUST UK believes sions when cannabis is found, communities most impacted by Black people are around six cannabis prohibition should be times more likely to be arrested at the heart of designing the than their white peers. new legislation and will work to There has been a tenfold amplify the voices of Black and increase in the number of posracialised communities. session offences for cannabis since the mid-1970s. Cannabis criminalisation has Read more www.release.org.uk/ publications/cannabis-regulatdevastating consequences for ing-right, www.unjust.org.uk Black communities, hinder-
By Maurice Mcleod
C
